Trump renews criticism of Japan, S Korea for not helping U.S. in Iran war

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his criticism of Japan, South Korea, Australia and the NATO alliance over his claim they have not adequately helped the United States in its war against Iran.

"We got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea. We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect them from (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well," Trump said during a press conference at the White House.

Trump's suggestion that U.S. military support for the two key U.S. allies in Asia, as well as Australia, should be reciprocated came after he again decried the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a "paper tiger."

In contrast, Trump praised some countries in the Middle East, including Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as having been "good" with the United States since it and Israel launched the war with Iran on Feb 28.

While reiterating his threat to Iran, Trump asserted that the United States has already won the war militarily. Unless Tehran makes a deal with Washington, he said, Iran's critical infrastructure could be destroyed within a span of four hours starting in just over a day's time.

Trump has set Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern time as the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital for global oil supplies.

"We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again," he said. "We don't want that to happen."

Earlier in the day, Iran's official IRNA news agency said the country wants a permanent end to the war, instead of a cease-fire.

Rejecting Washington's 15-point cease-fire proposal, which the news agency said was delivered through Pakistan, Iran presented its own 10-point plan, including a framework to stop regional hostilities and ensure safe passage through the strategic waterway.

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